A plan to redesign a busy thoroughfare in Springfield had the City Council divided this week, with millions in funding potentially on the line.
After a decade of planning, public hearings and revisions, a project aimed at reconstructing one of the city’s biggest intersections is months away from starting.
A frequent scene of accidents, vehicles running red lights, and pedestrians being put at risk, the X intersection at Sumner Avenue in Springfield’s Forest Park neighborhood will be getting a major overhaul via MassDOT.
One of the last hurdles facing the city council - approving well-over a hundred temporary easements and a handful of permanent ones.
According to Department of Public Works Director Chris Cignoli, the easements needed to be in place before the project’s opening for bids.
Cignoli appeared before the city council Monday night. With the bid opening scheduled for the next day – it gave city officials a tight deadline – with about $16 million in federal funds possibly off the table if it was missed.
“I've run into this before, where MassDOT has basically said, ‘Since they're not in place, we have to rebid the project.’ And in order to rebid the project, they then have to go and move all the money from fiscal years,” he explained. “It then has to be voted on by all of the towns in the Pioneer Valley area, through the Pioneer Valley Planning Commission and the Joint Transportation Committee, that … we had to jump through hoops to get all of the funding for this project to begin with.”
Some councilors took issue with being put on the spot, including Councilor at Large Kateri Walsh, who motioned to have the business moved to committee and be given the time for review she and several others felt it needed.
“I personally feel this is an awful lot of information that you want us to swallow and vote on and be threatened with the loss of the project - I don't think that's how this should be done, I don't think that's how the council should be treated,” she said.
Cignoli explained it was a matter of scheduling. There was a hope to get the items before the council during their meeting in September, after the city spent the summer appraising properties after being approved to do so by MassDOT earlier in the year, but some remaining appraisals pushed the matter into October.
Ward 7 Councilor Tim Allen acknowledged the predicament, but sided with Walsh, saying issues over the process made signing off on the easements difficult.
“We got 128 people whose properties are affected by this,” Allen said. “I’ve total respect and trust for Chris - this has been a tough job, he always has a tough job like this - this is 10 years of trying to get this to this point. I feel for you, but we should have known more, that we were in a position that we might have to vote for something that we don't really have full-knowledge of.”
Councilor at Large Tracye Whitfield came out in favor of getting the land takings approved.
Adding that councilors have been bringing up the intersection’s dangerousness for years - where Belmont Avenue, Sumner Avenue and Dickinson Street seemingly collide – and that jeopardizing much of the project’s funding when residents have already been notified 30 days in advance was not a risk worth taking.
“We don't know 100 percent, I'm going to agree with you on that, if the government or the state will take this money back, but do we want to risk that?” Whitfield said, referring to the possibility the grant funding might not need to be returned if the deadline passed. “Do we want to risk $16 million because we're not comfortable with how the process went? That, to me, is not fiscally responsible and there are a lot of improvements that are going to happen, more parking, more sidewalks, better sidewalks - do we want to risk that for our residents? I don't.”
Further discussion led to more councilors indicating support for the land takings as well as a $570,000 appropriation compensating land owners. Cignoli pointed out that in the case of many of the temporary easements, residents and businesses would still have access to their property and would end up with new sidewalks and driveway ramps.
Following assurances that there would be immediate, continued engagement with the public on the project, both Allen and Walsh pulled their opposition. Walsh withdrew her motion as the debate ended amicably.
“I drive down Sumner Avenue, I don't know how many times a day, I know it's dangerous, and if anybody has ever done a standout at Sumner Avenue, I mean, you can see what awful drivers there are,” Walsh said, leading to laughter in the chamber. “It isn't the safety of the project, it's the process - I am really disappointed in the process, but I am smart enough to count the votes.”
Both the appropriation and takings passed with all councilors voting “yes,” save for Walsh stepping away during the latter item’s vote.
Cignoli says if all goes to plan, construction should start in spring and last at least two construction seasons or two years. The DPW director says the roadways portion of the project will cost over $16 million, with water and sewer work ringing in at about $5 million, paid for by the Springfield Water and Sewer Commission.
In addition to utility work, he says the city is looking at $22 million for the project. He adds the MassDOT’s estimate of $26.2 million includes further state soft costs the city’s not involved in.
